


The Man Left for Dead

by apzrexy



Category: 8MM (1999)
Genre: Fix-It, Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:46:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23102686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apzrexy/pseuds/apzrexy
Summary: A quick fix-it fic for Max California, because he was honestly a good guy and didn't need to die. Dedicated to my Twitter group chat because we all adore him and want him alive. They also made me write this.
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

“Oh, Mr. W? Hurry back.”

Max never expected to be staring down the business end of a crossbow. Maybe a pistol or some sort of gun, but never a crossbow. He shouldn’t have come back to help Tom. Curiosity got the best of him, he had to see this thing to the end, whatever it was. Dino found him quickly and wasted no time knocking him out and taking him away. He should have taken that plane ticket and gone home to California, home to his friends and his band. If only he wasn’t so damn nosy.

“Hey, boy! Look at me when I’m talking to you please.”

Max snapped his attention to the man with the crossbow. Dino waved it back and forth, aiming at him only to drop his aim and grin. He took pleasure in torturing people. Dino Velvet was a fucked-up guy, but Max already knew that. Some of the shit he’d seen on those tapes was grotesque, to say the least. 

Deep in his thoughts, Max was startled back to reality as bolt struck the target next to his right thigh. It just barely missed him. He let out a muffled shout as he struggled to break free. Where the hell was Tom? What’s taking him so long?

“Just missed. I was aiming for your cock, boy. You’re lucky, I don’t miss very often.” Dino winked at him and fired another bolt, this one hitting inches from his skull. 

“I’m gonna slit this fucker’s throat. Then I’m gonna fuck his bleeding neck,” the masked man standing beside Dino growled. They call him ‘The Machine.’ He’s one nasty fucker, but Max, of course, already knew that. 

He’d seen too many of the BDSM films Dino makes. Machine’s dedication to his craft was really something to see. Max had seen this guy assault and fuck the brains out of so many women and men. It was a truly vile fetish. 

“Wait until we get that film, Machine. Then I’ll film you defiling this boy’s corpse. We have to keep the memory, of course.” Dino’s laugh was eerily gentle. Max didn’t like this. Tom had better hurry up, or Max was doomed to be a fucking plaything for these sickos. Although, Max wasn’t so sure these fuckers would let him off the hook so easily. He knows too much about what they’ve done, why would they just let him go?

Lost in his mind again, Max jumped as Machine grabbed a handful of his junk. He kicked as strong as he could to get the man off him, but something in Max didn’t mind a dude groping at his nuts. He didn’t have time to think about that though, as Tom made his way into the room. Machine chuckled and gave Max’s bulge one good squeeze before heading to stand beside Dino once again.

“Mr. Welles, the film, please.” Dino took a puff of his cigar and spun around to face Tom. A wave of relief overtook Max when he saw Tom. Maybe he’d get out of this alive, Tom’s been a good friend to him after all. He knew Tom would do what he needed to do to protect him, they were partners. 

“Let him go first. Do whatever you want to me, but you just let him go.”

“Very well. Set him free, Machine.”

Max sighed and nodded his head. He was right, Tom was a good guy. He’d make sure Max got out of this. Machine undid the chains holding Max to the target and Max fell to the floor with a thud. Fuck did that hurt, but at least he was free.

Max yelped in surprise as Machine lifted him by his hair and sent a dagger blade through his abdomen. Max felt the cold blade scraping against the inside of his stomach. Machine continued to drive the knife deeper into Max. Everything went numb, he could only focus on the agonizing pain he was experiencing. He let out a muffled shriek as Machine dragged the knife out of his freshly made wound, reigniting the pain as he felt the sharp blade drag across his dripping flesh once again, and he landed against the floor with a loud thud. Tom yelled after him, right before he was slammed against the ground. Max’s vision began to fade as the pain overtook him. For the next several minutes Max faded in and out of consciousness, witnessing parts of fight unfolding before him. He heard several shouts, followed by the slamming of the warehouse door. He was alone. Left to die on the cold, moldy floor of this old fucking shipping warehouse. The room was silent as Max lost consciousness once again.


	2. Chapter 2

The stench of blood flooded his nostrils as he awoke. Fuck, it was cold in here. And almost completely dark, save for the small ray of light coming from a broken window on the other end of the room. How long had he been here? Was he dead? Max wasn’t sure what the hell was going on, but he knew he had to get out of this damn warehouse if he wanted any answers to his questions. He slowly peeled the duct tape from his mouth, wincing as it tore the hair from his face.

He rose to his feet, stumbling and clutching at his still open wound. Push through the pain. If he pushes through the pain he’ll get out of this alive. Max waddled over towards the large door of the warehouse. 

“I’ll get out of here, and I’ll get to the hospital. Everything’ll be alright. Just a few more steps, c’mon Max.” Just feet from the door, Max slipped on a puddle of some sort and landed face first on the warehouse floor once again. 

“What the fuck,” Max asked as jumped to his feet. He came nearly face to face with a dead Dino Velvet, face down in a pool of his own blood. The events from yesterday came rushing back to him. The sick fuck who kidnapped and tortured people for money was now laying in front of him, dead. Max stepped over the cold body and continued to the door. 

Upon opening the large door, Max was greeted with a blast of sunlight. The scent of fresh air was refreshing compared to the dank smell of death inside the abandoned building. Max pressed onwards towards the docks, then off towards town. He wasn’t far from a populated area, he just had to keep going.

He trudged down the road, before coming to a small sized cul-de-sac. Just a few yards away, some kids were playing on a patch of grass outside what must have been their home. A younger man was watching the three play, before turning his attention to the injured man headed in his direction. Max weakly called for help before collapsing to the ground.

“Oh my god, man? Are you ok? What the hell?” The man rushed to Max’s side. “Mike, go call the police for me, ok? Take your brothers inside and call 911.”

“I… I got stabbed. I need to see a doctor.”

“How the hell did you get stabbed? Stay with me man, stay awake!” Max was lost in his head as the man before him was shouting out questions. He made it; help was on the way. He just had to wait it out now. Max wasn’t paying attention to what the attractive stranger in front of him was saying, he just stared and smiled. He was going to live. Not long after the kids called 911, an ambulance sped down the street. Max was loaded onto the vehicle and rushed to the hospital.

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Nearly two weeks after the incident at the warehouse, Max was finally healed up from his attack. Thankfully, the man who rescued him, a local college student named Vlad, was letting Max crash with him until the doctors allowed him to head back to California. 

During his recovery, Max couldn’t help but think back on the whole situation. Dino had somehow found Max while he was out drinking, the night before he was brought to the warehouse. Granted, he was wasted, so Max probably didn’t put up much a fight when he was kidnapped. All he remembers was being tied up and thrown into a dark room, only to wake up and be beaten senseless once more. But Dino was gone, Max was free to go home and live his life again. No one was after him anymore.

‘Tom fucking left me. He left me to die in that warehouse,” Max grimaced as he remembered that fact. To think Max was starting to like this guy’s company. He was going to ask if Tom wanted to work with him. But that fucker just left him to die. It was only a stab to the stomach, that wouldn’t kill someone. Not even a call from him. He didn’t even send an ambulance to the scene to look for him. Tom pulled Max into this whole situation, and he didn’t even have the fucking decency to check up on his traumatized and injured partner?

“Hey Max, I was thinking about grabbing a pizza for dinner. You down?” Max relaxed as he saw his temporary roommate’s frame in the doorway. He nodded in agreement before turning back to the thoughts in his mind. Vlad frowned at Max, crossing the room and sitting in the chair in the corner.

“Listen, I don’t know what happened to you and I don’t want to pry, but you can’t just sit around and mope. Come play video games with me or something, get your mind outta those nasty places!” 

Max sighed and followed Vlad to the living room. The two roommates sat on the cheap futon, and the new friends ate pizza and played N64 games into the early hours of the morning. Max wasn’t very good at the games, despite what he said about the weird shape of the controller stopping him from winning. Max hadn’t felt this happy in years, he didn’t want this moment to end. Eventually, though, the evening came to a halt and the two boys needed to think about getting some sleep.

“Alright, you need to get some sleep, Max. We gotta make sure that stomach heals up,” Vlad said as he lightly patted Max’s back.

“Vlad,” Max started, turning towards his friend. “Thanks for everything. I mean it, if it wasn’t for you I’d probably be dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“I do what I can, guys like you don’t come around very often,” Vlad smiled as he gently laid his hand on Max’s thigh. Max blushed; he didn’t think he was gay. He wasn’t one to shy away from some experimental porno, but this was different. He felt giddy around Vlad, this would explain it. Damn it, he’s got feelings for someone he might not ever see again.

“Um, hey, I have to leave soon, you know. I’ve got some business to take care of. But, maybe I can give you my number and we can keep in touch?”

“I’d like that Max,” Vlad said. He pulled Max into a strong hug and headed off to his room. Max followed suit. Tonight he needed to pack. He couldn’t wait to get home to his friends and his bass. God, did he miss playing. He lazily tossed what little things he had with him into his bag, before crashing onto the bed.

He was ready to be away from this whole trip, the cause of what was certain to be years of distress. He’d make sure to leave his contact info for Vlad. He was determined to see this man again, the first person he really felt a connection to in years. Max pulled together his plane tickets. He tucked his ticket to California is his bag and laid out a ticket to Pennsylvania on his desk. Max needed to pay the man who left him behind to die a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be a three part story. Expect part three before the weekend starts!


	3. Chapter 3

Max took a deep breath as he stepped out of the Harrisburg airport. He clutched his small duffle bag of clothes to his side as he hurried into a nearby taxi. He was gonna get to the hotel, set his stuff down, and head right to Tom’s place. He was nervous, he’d never confronted anyone like this before. He had to though, Tom left him to die in that fucking warehouse. The two of them were partners, for fuck’s sake! 

“Hey man, we’re here. Get going!” 

Max shook himself back to reality as he unloaded his belongings from the cab and handed the driver a wad of cash. He wheeled his suitcase into the dingy hotel and up the long staircase to his room. He plopped himself down on the creaky bed and sighed. He wasn’t sure how to go about confronting Tom. Should he burst in angry? Or should he try and be calm?

He’d figure that out later. He needed to grab something to eat first. He reached for the hotel phone, only to slam it back onto the receiver. No, he’d talk with Tom and then get something to eat. He didn’t want to be in Pennsylvania any longer than he needed to, and he was worried that if he put this off any longer he’d lose the courage to do anything.

He hopped to his feet and headed back out to the lobby. Stuffing the hotel key into his pocket, he caught the attention of another cab driver. He clumsily stepped into the cab and handed the driver a small slip of paper than had Tom’s address on it. Tom had given it to Max if he needed anything from Tom after the investigation ended. 

“This is pretty far kid. You sure you can pay?” The cab driver eyed Max up and down.

“Yeah, I can pay. Just take me there, alright?”

The cab driver shrugged him off before starting off on the drive. Max grew more nervous with each minute. What the hell was he thinking? He couldn’t do this; this wasn’t like him. He’d just knock on the door and work the problem out with Tom. Who knows, maybe they’d figure it out and be partners again? Max definitely preferred the P.I. stuff over working as a smut peddler. Max pushed those thoughts to the side; he’d just act natural when he got to Tom’s place. He watched the buildings pass by and slowly become sparser as they left the center of town and neared the more rural suburbs of Harrisburg. It was a gloomy type of day; the sky a medium gray color as the day grew closer to an end. It was cold out too, much colder than anything Max was used to back in California. He wouldn’t be surprised if it was snowing by the end of the day. 

Max spent the rest of the nearly 30-minute drive calming himself down by focusing on the scenery around him. The cab slowly rolled up to a decent-sized grey house before coming to a halt. Max thanked the cab driver for taking him so far out of the city and he made sure to tip him a little extra for the trouble. Max was a good guy after all, he knew how to be polite. 

The cab stuck out like a sore thumb in the monotone environment. He watched the driver pull away from the house and head back towards the city. Tom’s house was intimidating. What if he wasn’t even home? He might be on another investigation halfway across the country right now. But it was worth a try at least. Max shuffled nervously up to the doorstep, before lightly knocking on the solid oak door.

A few minutes went by with no response. Max rapped at the door harder this time. Another few minutes and still no response. 

“Fuck,” Max whispered. “No one’s home.” 

He ran a hand through his hair. Now what? He rang the doorbell twice for good measure, before giving up and turning away. He might as well wait to see if someone comes home. He decided to explore around a bit. He walked down the hill leading to the backyard, kicking a pile of leaves as he went. A soccer ball, partially deflated, was resting against a paint chipped fence post. Max grabbed the ball, he used to play soccer in junior high. He was pretty good at it too, even though he didn’t continue into high school. He set the flattened ball on the ground in front of him and backed up about 10 feet. After a strong running start, Max launched the ball into the woods behind Tom’s house. 

“Oh shit, maybe I shouldn’t have done that…”

Who cares? The ball was deflated anyways. If Tom was pissy about it Max would just buy him a new one. That piece of shit ball couldn’t have been more than $4. He finished a circle around Tom’s home before settling for sitting on his doorstep and waiting. Max pulled out a half empty pack of American Spirit cigarettes, his favorite brand. He lit one up and took a puff. He wasn’t sure how long he’d be here, but he wasn’t going to leave now. So, he made himself comfortable in this spot in front of some guy’s house.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been about 45 minutes before a black car pulled into the driveway. Max stood up and brushed himself off, running a nervous hand through his steel blue hair. This was it. He was still completely unsure of how he was going to approach the conversation. The car’s engine halted, yet no one got out. Max tilted his head in confusion. Did he get the wrong house?

The man in the car slowly opened the door and stepped out, lifting his head over the roof of the vehicle. He took off his sunglasses. It was Tom.

“Max?” The man quickly walked up to Max, pulling him into a hug. “Holy shit Max, you’re alive. How are you?”

“I’m uh… I’m alright Pops, what about you,” Max chuckled nervously.

“I’m good, I’m good. Come on in, my wife’s out of town at her mom’s place so feel free to smoke.” Tom unlocked the door and Max followed him inside. Tom sat down at a small round table in the center of his kitchen, motioning for Max to join him.

Max lit another cigarette before reaching over to light one for Tom. The two men sat in silence for a long while before Tom finally spoke.

“So. You’re doing alright. I saw Machine stab you. You got that fixed up, right?” Max nodded. “Well, I took care of Eddie and Machine. Those sick fucks are dead. And you saw Dino die, right? So it’s all good. The investigation’s over.”

“Uh, yeah, what the hell were you even investigating anyways, pops?”

“I told you not to call me that, Max. And it’s none of your business. It’s over anyways, so why do you care?” Max frowned at Tom’s sudden hostility.

“What the hell man? I care because I almost fucking died helping you! I deserve to know a little bit of what was going on,” Max started off and began to raise his voice. Tom tried to interrupt Max, but he was having none of it. “And don’t think I forgot that you fucking left me in that warehouse to die alone! You didn’t come back to check on me, didn’t call an ambulance or anything to come get me, you fucking left me!” Tom stood from his chair at the table and leaned down close to Max’s face.

“Max, you don’t need to know anything. It wasn’t your job, you just tagged along to give me information and get me close to Dino. You were supposed to leave. Why the fuck did you even come here, huh? Do you want money from me? I paid you for your part of the work. So get the fuck out of my house, little prick.” 

Max stood up, face to face with Tom now. He wasn’t just going to leave without making himself heard. Max had barely opened his mouth to speak when Tom shoved him to the ground. The man shot a fist towards Max’s face, luckily Max rolled just out of his reach. Tom’s fist slammed against the ground and Max shot up off the floor.

“What the fuck man?” Max shouted as Tom balled his fist once more. “Are you drunk Tom? What’s your problem?”

Tom punched at Max once again. Max grabbed the man’s arm and threw his attacker to the ground. He had to get out of here. Max turned to leave, making a dead sprint for the door. He felt a heavy object smack the back of his head, and Max fell to the floor with a loud thud.

“Fucking prick,” Tom shouted. “You think you can show up to my house, uninvited, and get money out of me? I don’t need you anymore Max, I honestly couldn’t have cared less if you died in that warehouse. You were nothing but information to me.”

Max felt his heart split in two. Not that he cared about this man that deeply, but they were partners. Tom didn’t care about him. Was he planning to just leave Max behind after the sting anyways? Hot tears fell from Max’s eyes, caused by both his physical and emotional pain. Fuck this guy. Max was going to show this old dude not to mess with him.

Max spun around and sat up. Tom was nowhere to be found. He looked back at the door. Should he make a run for it? He stood up and slowly waddled to the door, the pain splitting his head every time he took a step. He was just inches from the door now. He reached out for the handle, when a loud bang echoed through the house. Tom was in the study next to the exit. Max looked to Tom and then over his shoulder. Tom tried to shoot him.

“Tom, what the fuck? I didn’t do shit, just let me go!”

Tom rushed at Max and fired another bullet past his head. Man he's got real shitty aim. Max clutched at his head, and Tom shoved him against the door. The gun was up against Max’s head now. Tom was spouting some bullshit, no doubt. The ringing in Max’s ears made it impossible to hear what he was saying. He had to think quick, he did want to die in this asshole’s house.

Max shot his leg up and kicked Tom in the groin, which caused the man to drop his gun and fall to his knees. Max stumbled to grab the gun off the ground. Aiming the barrel at Tom’s forehead, Max took a deep breath. The ringing in his ears finally stopped as he heard Tom pleading for his life.

“Please don’t shoot. I’ve got a wife and a daughter. They’ll be lost without me. I’ll give you whatever you want. Please don’t kill me.”

“Listen Tom, you were the one that dragged me into that snuff film mess. You were the one that almost got me killed, and then left me to rot in that dank warehouse. And to top it off, you were the one that attacked me first. You fucking shot at me when all I came to do was talk to you about that whole fucking mess,” Max shouted as he reached his second hand up to rack the pistol.

“You’re a real asshole, you know that Tom. And as far as I’m concerned, you fucking deserve this.”

Max pulled the trigger. A loud bang sounded through the house. Tom fell backwards into the splattered mess of his own blood and brain matter. A smile spread across Max’s face, but quickly dropped as he realized the situation. He scrambled around the house as he cleaned every surface he could have touched. He wiped the gun down before setting it in Tom’s hand. If movies and TV had taught him anything, it was to make it look like an accident.

He left the house and headed back towards the city. Besides a few bruises and sore spots, Max was pretty surprised he left with any sever injuries. But all of that was behind him now. That asshole was dead, and Max had gotten his revenge. 

It was a long walk from that house back to the city, but Max didn’t care. He liked the scenery out here. Maybe he’d move out here once this all blew over. He’d get to see Vlad more often. That fact made Max smile; he’d move out here for sure. There wasn’t really anything for him in California anyways. His band wasn’t ever going to get back together and selling porno to creepy perverts wasn’t Max’s ideal gig.

His stomach growled. Pizza sounded good right now. He’d stop and get a slice or two on his way back to the hotel. Maybe he’d call Vlad tonight and check to see what he was up to and tell him that he’s thinking about moving out here. Lost in his thoughts, Max failed to notice that small snowflakes were falling from the sky. He stopped in his tracks, lifted his face to the sky, and stuck his tongue out. It was surely a strange sight; a 20 something year old man jumping around catching snowflakes on his tongue like a young child. Max didn’t care. He felt free, like he could do anything in the world right now. He chuckled to himself before continuing his long trek to the city.

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Max launched himself from his futon at the sound of his doorbell buzzing, nearly spilling the half empty beer on his side table. It had been a good 3 months since Max confronted Tom. He got away with the whole thing, luckily. Tom had left no clear connection to Max while they were working together, and Max had cleaned the scene up well. He headed back to California after that and returned to work to save up a bit of money.

“Hey Vlad! Come on in,” Max beamed as the man stepped into his apartment. “Sorry it’s such a mess, haven’t really had time to clean up because I’ve been working so much.”

Vlad brushed it off as he sat on the futon in front of the TV. Max grabbed him a beer and joined Vlad on the creaky piece of furniture.

“You ready for the big move?” Max nodded at Vlad’s question. He had flown all the way out to California to help drive Max’s stuff across the country. The two boys had planned to move in together months ago, and Max was finally able to save up enough to head out east. 

“Hell yeah! I’ve been ready for 3 months,” he laughed as he took a swig of his beer. Vlad joined him in laughter and the two talked for a long while in front of the TV. 

Max and Vlad had a flirty friendship going on, but neither of the two had the courage to make any moves. Hell, Max wasn’t even sure Vlad was into guys. Maybe that’s just how he was as a friend. To be honest, Max was kind of sick of it. He was going to do something about it. The whole encounter with Tom had boosted him confidence a lot, and the liquid courage the two had been enjoying all night didn’t hurt either.

“Alright Max, we should probably get some sleep. We gotta head out early tomorrow to pick up the U-Haul and get it loaded.” Vlad yawned and stood up.

“Uh… yeah, you’re right. Hey, you can have my bed, I’ll crash here.” Vlad nodded and pulled Max into a hug. Vlad let go and started across the small living space to the bedroom. Max was gonna make his move. He had to. If it went wrong, he’d just blame it on being drunk. That was good enough. He hurried over to Vlad and grabbed his wrist. Vlad spun around, and Max planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Goodnight, Vlad. See you in the morning,” Max said softly. Vlad smiled and grabbed Max’s hand.

“Didn’t know you felt that way about me, Max.” 

“Uh… man… I’m… I’m sorry. I guess I wasn’t…” Max was cut off as Vlad gently kissed his lips. His heart soared. He’d been waiting for this moment for months now.

“I feel it too, Max. Don’t worry,” he smiled as he pulled away. “And you don’t have to sleep on the couch, you know. I bet there’s enough room for the both of us in that bed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I wanted to get the ending just right! Thanks to everyone for reading my first fic!


End file.
